Chelsie and I spent a wonderful afternoon with one of her best friends, Whitney, and Whit's Mom, Renata the other day. We had taken some winter photos for Whitney and she wanted to round out her senior pics with some spring photos as well. She is SUCH an easy photo subject....very photogenic and so fun to hang out with. We made a couple of stops. First we went to her Aunt and Uncle's home and made good use of a porch swing that was made by her Great, Great Grandfather (I think I've got that right). Check out Chelsie's blog to see a picture of Whiteny in the swing. We also took some shots using the banister on this beautiful wrap around-style porch.

Next, on the way to Whit's Grandmother's home, we stopped by an old barn foundation that belonged to her late Grandfather. She had changed into a beautiful blue dress and we took several different styles of photos beside and around the old barn foundation. We ended the shoot at her Grandma Lucille's home.

We had a great afternoon and Whitney was really a trooper considering the cold temps and the constant heavy breeze that kept our teeth chattering. Thanks Whitney, for believing in us and giving us this wonderful opportunity to share your high school senior memories!

Oh, the lessons......

Even though she is graduating high school in 2 weeks, my youngest daughter, Chelsie, is learning more than ever. We are learning more than ever! And she, like my other two children, continue to teach me with every step of their own personal journeys. I know that it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children as they grow and mature. But I also believe in the importance of being the student...of letting our children teach us. And they will, if we give them the chance to find their own voice and to let that voice be heard. I am truly blessed to say I am Danielle, Gesse, and Chelsie's Mom. Thank you, my darlings, for all your love, laughter, respect, support, and, of course, the lessons! ;-) The trip to San Francisco also continues to "teach" me many things. And, as Sharon Sossaman said, Rick, Garrett, Me Ra, and Brian's voices are continuously "there" in the back of my mind, guiding and supporting the photographer and the artist who lives in me. More later on San Francisco, as well as some friends who are "Feasting" and cooking up a storm!!

The first "petal".

Welcome, welcome to my first-ever personal blog. I am fairly new to all of this and I have much to experience. But I know it will be a journey well worth taking. I consider this a "petal" in my amazing sojourn through all the new things I am learning, and hope there are many more "petals" to open up, creating something beautiful in the end.

Chelsie, my youngest daughter, and I recently returned from a trip to San Francisco to take part in Me Ra Koh Photography's Self-Discovery Workshop. It was an amazing experience for not only the two of us, but the other 20 women who attended. We were so very lucky to learn from Me Ra, her husband Brian, Garrett Burdick, Rick Chapman & Lesley Ehrenfeld , and Matt & Laura Reoch. Such a phenomenal team of photographers and creative individuals!




We truly learned how to connect to the artist within, connect with our portrait subject and then blend these connections into our own unique photographs. It is a process that we should learn to trust and make time for, according to Rick Chapman. And he is so right! It is hard, going "blind" into a new and unfamiliar process. But with the help and guidance of all these individuals, we learned just how valuable that process is to our own creative survival as well as to our photographs. Learning how to photocoach our subjects so that we get those special shots and help our clients to relax was also such a valuable session with Me Ra and Brian.

If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of their workshops, I highly recommend it! You will not be disappointed and you will walk away with many new friends and a huge boost in your self-confidence as a photographer. Check out Me Ra's website, http://www.refusetosaycheese.com/ for more information on this and other workshops.

I'll post some of our photos later, but for now, thank you for checking out the new blog and many wishes for a happy, healthy day!